cafecito

(212) 253-9966

185 Ave C, New York, NY | Directions   10009

40.726793 -73.977056
  • Hours

    Mon-Thurs 5pm-11pm Fri-Sat 4pm-2am Sun 12pm-11pm
  • Menu
  • Save

cafecito view & upload
photos
Neighborhoods:
East Village, Downtown, Alphabet City

Categories:
Restaurants
Cuisine:
Cuban

Price:
$$

View More

Restaurant Special Features:
Romantic Dining
Payment Methods:
Cash

View Less


At a Glance ?
100% ambiance
“If you like good Cuban food and you like an intimate atmosphere and you like to have a dining experience that leaves you feeling good about life.”
100% dessert
“Their flourless chocolate cake, if you saved enough room for dessert is pretty darn good.”
83% drinks
“made friends with Staff I might say really quick because I love drinks and eating great latin food, and I thought highly of Owners/ Manager/ staff.”
96% food quality
“Large portions like your mother would make you with just enough fat to make it tasty but not too greasy.”
100% menu variety
“The prices are right and the menu covers all the main appetizers,soups,main dishes, deserts & beverages you would find at Miami's favorite places, plus taste very good.”
100% overall
“this is my new favorite restaurant in the east village.”
100% return potential
“can't wait to go back when the weather warms up--sit outside, have a perfect sangria.”
89% service
“Food is not too expensive, service is always solid.”
88% value
“lean meats, hearty sandwiches and abundant portions give this establishment the edge over other spots in manhattan for cuban dishes.”
75% wait time
“it's a great neighborhood spot, but service can be maddeningly slow when it gets busy.”

Write a Tip for

cafecito

Write a Tip... optional

What Our Expert Scouts Say

August 14, 2012

A Low-key, funky Avenue C afterthought to the East Village's dining scene, Cafecito is surprisingly good. The authentic cuban food overseen by the Miami émigrés that run the place is about as good as you get in New York.

0

Tips for cafecito

November 12, 2012

My first time here and I did enjoyed my dinner, food and drinks were good. I will again sometime.

0
3.0
June 11, 2011

Good food, kind of expensive, mediocre service. I've been going to Cafecito for a couple of years now. There have been a few issues now and then: a person answering the phone for take out orders that didn't speak one lick of English, food arriving cold (I live 10 blocks away). However, the atmosphere is chill and I love the neighborhood-y feel to the place. Manny and Orlando are great hosts and the bussers are sweet and friendly. HOWEVER, there is a new waitress (server) that's been there for several months now...SHE SUCKS! Man, her attitude stinks, she is sloooooow and she forgets things all the time! The kicker is that she will give you an attitude if you remind her about something she forgot to bring you! It's really too bad because several friends have experienced this independently. Recently we were wondering where to go for dinner and Cafecito came up, that's when we realized none of us could bear to deal with her. It's too bad really, I really liked that place. I will continue to stop in, but I will eat at the counter if she's still working there.

0
1.0
March 29, 2010

St. Patricks Day Nightmare...... Well I have been to Cafecito's since it opened up. I actually thought it was great to open up a cuban spot in the east village being that I am latin and grew up here my whole life. I made friends with Staff I might say really quick because I love drinks and eating great latin food, and I thought highly of Owners/ Manager/ staff. At first I noticed that they enjoyed my presence and appreciated that I also brought them so much business. I actually sent all my local friends and even strangers and always highly recommended thier establishment. cafecito's staff treated me with respect as to an occasional free drink, or an appetizer not that I didnt have the money but out of thankfullness through my loyalty to them. But I started to notice that once they became very successful they no longer treated me VIP but rather more like who are you ...It was very noticeable and others like myself noticed as well. But I still gave them a visit and ordered thier meals through delivery and had occasional drinks at the bar. If I was too loud at the bar they actually would remove me and my guest friend. I also was insulted by one of the owners as to which kitchen staff cook would be my choice when they all knew I was in a relationship for numerous years. Well to make a long story short last St. Patricks became a nightmare because someone dear to me was violently assaulted in the clear view of Cafecito Owner who admits he seen what happened.So my thing is that all these years of my loyalty to these Clowns have proven that I totally lost all respect for each one of them. When I arrived in front of Cafecito, there was my loved one being put on a stretcher and the results were pretty horrific. He underwent oral surgery, suffered other facial bruises and had a slash cut on head. As I approached the scene being that I live by cafecito I got no answers.Not one manager or owner was out in front to see that victim of a violent act was taken properly to hospital.Instead they were all more concerned about making thier business go on as if nothing had happened in front of Cafecitos. I had actually spoken to one of owners through my friend who was assaulted at around nine pm and ten min after he suffered the violent crime..Clearly I got a clear message that they dont care about the people that have been loyal to them but are greedy self centered businessman. I will never step foot into thier establisment Cafecito's or Royale because after seven years they are full of Sh_ _.... If I want a good cuban meal there are about all over the city and authentic cuban meals...My final message to all that enjoy Cafecito's just keep your guards up cause the fake smiles are there........Thank You

0
2.0
March 20, 2010

Mgmnt values table space more than customer loyalty. Due to the cramped space and crowds, they barely let you finish and ask you to leave the table! Incredible. Everything about it was average, but tolerable, but the worst were the house rules. They have wierd rules: you can make reservations only for 6 or more, and they expect everyone to arrive together. If some members of the party arrive earlier than rest, they do not allow to sit at the table, unless all arrive!! Stay away on busy weekend nights or be prepared to eat slow-cooked food at fast-food pace! We went this Saturday night, and faced the brunt of all those rules. Will not go back again.

0
4.0
February 09, 2009

Love Cafecito in Summer and Winter. Friday would not be Friday without a great meal at Cafecito. The pollo, the salad with shrimp. Fantastic. We love the staff, too. Our grandson is also a very big fan!

0
5.0
October 29, 2008

Great spot to share dinner!. Been coming here for ages. Great for dates or dinner with friends. Food is not too expensive, service is always solid. Good tequila selection! Cuban music is present, but you won't have any trouble hearing each other.

0
3.0
September 14, 2008

Nothing to brag about. I came here with a friend yesterday ( Sat. night). The ambiance is very nice. The mango margarita was good but too small and too pricey. They need to make them bigger if they want to charge 11.00. I ate the churasco I must say that it was delicious. My friend ate vaca frita that was also great. I have tasted better Cuban food. I don't think I will be visiting again. The bar tender was friendly. The place wasn't bad, but it' wouldn't be on my top three choices. I would recommend the food but not the drinks. That margarita was more like a shot with a lot of ice in a small cup. That really disappointed me. Three tiny margarita's later and no buzzzz. Go for brunch and drink somewhere else....

0
5.0
March 06, 2008

Definitely the place to eat with your partner, co-workers, friends, and family!. The food and drinks are beyond great! Not only that, the service is awesome... Every time I go to Cafecito I always happen to notice returned patrons like me! : ) Friendly environment!!!!

0
5.0
January 23, 2008

Great Food & Very Romantic. My boyfriend took me to Cafecito over the weekend and we had a great evening. From appetizers to dessert, the food was delcious. The ambiance and music really made for a very romantic night. We will be visiting again very soon as it was a great find in the neighborood!

0
2.0
January 23, 2008

Do not order from here. I have never eaten here but my friend suggested it so we placed an order for delivery. Since it's not especially cheap, I expected something good. My pork chunks came a small handful of vegetables bits (greasy corn, tiny potato bits) but with no rice and beans which I found a little outrageous. My friend's steak was a bland, cheap cut of meat that came with some garlic salad dressing on the side which totally overwhelmed once added; at least his came with rice and beans! The onions were tasty though and so were the black beans. I do not know what it's like to eat-in, but this is not a place to order from: for $30 we ended up feeling pretty disappointed.

0

See more tips for cafecito

Write a Tip for

cafecito

Write a Tip... optional
Your Friends

Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Facebook to see what your friends are up to!

Add Blog Post

Add your blog review of cafecito to Citysearch

Do you have a review of cafecito on your blog? If you include the Citysearch image link (shown below) in your post, we'll automatically link to your review from the business profile page. Here's how our Linkback system works:

  • 1. Include our image link in your cafecito review blog post.
  • 2. Citysearch will notice that you're linking to one of our pages. We'll scan your blog.
  • 3. We'll show a link to your blog post from the cafecito page on Citysearch.

The Linkback system is free and automatic. It's really that easy.

Read our FAQ for details.

Image Link

To link to our business profile page, copy the html below to your web page.

cafecito on Citysearch

Citysearch Mobile
Citysearch Mobile

Get the Citysearch Mobile app so you can spend less time searching for great places, and more time enjoying them.

Get it Now

Best of Citysearch

Won for:
Cuban Food (2005)
Nominations Nominated for:
Cuban Food (2009)
Sandwich (2006)